If Only
by xblissfuloblivion
Summary: RayNeela. My alternate take on all the RayNeela scenes in ‘I Don’t’ and let me tell you, they went through A LOT of 'if only this had happened and if only that had happened' type scenes in this episode.
1. Alternate Scene 1

**Title:** If Only

**Rating:** FRT

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ER, yadda, yadda, yadda.

**Summary:** RayNeela. My alternate take on all the Ray/Neela scenes in 'I Don't' and let me tell you, they went through A LOT of "if only this had happened and if only that had happened' scenes in this episode.

**Author's Note: **I know, I'm taking on another story when I've got about half a dozen uncompleted chapter stories but I tell you do not fear, they will be completed…in time…lol. Anyway this idea came to me last night at about 12:00 in the morning and I had to get it down. ALSO **big** note this is not a multi – chapter story, each chapter will rewrite a different scene from the episode, none of them, I repeat none of them will be continued after the chapter based on it ends. Okay. Got that? Good :) On with the story!

* * *

**1. If Only…**

…**It had been Ray at Neela's door instead of Gates.**

* * *

Neela sighed as she slipped the earring through her lobe. She didn't know why, but she had a huge sense of dread about the ER dinner party tonight. _Hmm…maybe it's because the two guys you're involved with are both going to be there and not to mention they hate the living daylights out of each other. _She was certain she had already made up her mind that it was Ray she wanted to be with, there was absolutely no denying that but the problem she was having was coming face to face with Tony and telling clearly and straightforwardly that they were done. Sure she had tried, on numerous accounts; she had just never formed them clearly into the words 'we're done' she just kind of hopped around it hoping he would understand what she was trying to say but of course he was just to plain dense to notice that when she said _"I just don't know where I fit in..." _it actually meant; _"I want to break up with you, you arrogant, self – self centred bastard." _So now she had decided it was time for her to face the facts, she was going to have to do it the 'clearly and straightforward way' also known as; 'the hard way' but it was the only way, the only way she could do it and she'd have to do it fast, like tonight fast because it might just cost her losing the man she'd only truly ever whole heartedly loved. 

'_Knock, Knock.'_

She looked up startled. Who could that possibly be? She wasn't supposed to be attending with someone, she was sure of it. She had thought of going with Ray but to her luck he had been busy and she had been positive to tell Tony that she'd see him there. The last thing Ray needed to see was them entering the building together, and knowing Tony it would have been a 'big scene' to shove it in Ray's face.

"Just a second." she called.

"C'mon, Neela. I got the cab waiting." called a voice that sounded strangely like…Ray…

She frowned. _Huh?_ She quickly hurried to the door, not before stopping in front of the mirror and taking one last glance at her appearance. Dress, check. Make – up, check, Hair, check, she smiled couldn't helping but feeling reasonably proud of what she saw.

"Ray?" she asked opening the door.

She was greeted by his gorgeous smirk of a smile.

"Hey, Neela…" he said, not even trying to hide his eyes travelling up her body. He smiled at her appreciation and she could feel the heat rising to her face.

"Wow, you're looking good." he commented.

She blushed. _Stupid, bloody hormones._

"Thanks, you don't look to shabby, yourself."

He grinned.

"Well, I do try."

She shook her head. Old age obviously wasn't wearing him down, he was still as cocky was ever.

"So, what are you doing here? I thought you had something to do?" she questioned curiously.

He grinned secretly.

"I did, and I did take care of it and it will all be revealed…_in time_." He told her, patting the front of his jacket pocket. "But then I saw I had some free time to spare so I made a quick detour here so you could enjoy my obviously delightful company." he smirked.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't flatter yourself, Barnett."

He feigned a hurt look.

"_Ouch_, I'm really wounded, now I'm beginning to wonder if I should just leave you here and take off in my cab."

Neela shook her head quickly.

"No, don't go!"

He grinned.

"I knew you'd give in."

She shook her head again.

"Oh, I'm not giving in, I just figured if I came with you it would save me having to hail a cab in this bloody contraption of a dress _and _not to mention at least 20 bucks." she told him feigning innocent.

Ray gave her a pout.

"Damn, you've crushed me down to practically nothing in less than two minutes flat."

She smirked at him.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll somehow manage to survive so while you're nursing your bruised ego, I'll go get my purse."

"Well, you better hurry, I'm outta here in 30 seconds tops." he called to her retreating back.

"Whatever you say." she called back, smiling secretly to herself. She'd missed their banter, she'd missed their little moments, she'd missed their so obvious chemistry, to sum it all up she'd missed him. She knew exactly what she had to do.

_End 'If Only' Fic 1._

* * *

_So what did you think of the first ficlet in the series? I know it was a bit fluffy but I thought I'd add it in before I got into the more serious part of this little series. **Remember each one is one ending of a scene, it is not continued in the next chapter**, I will tackle another different scene in that where this, (what's above) never happened._ _I mean you can probably give yourselves your own ending as to what happens after this, can't you:) _

_Anyway, what I really want to know is if you want me to continue, please review and tell me, the more reviews the more inspired I'll be to write the next scene!_


	2. Alternate Scene 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the reviews :) I'm really glad you all like it so far. It made me eager to write the next little scene, remember not a multi – chapter, just a rewrite of a different scene, nothing at all to do with the contents of the last chapter, Okay? So here ya go! Enjoy!

* * *

**2. If Only…**

**…Hope hadn't interrupted (right at that moment).**

* * *

Ray stared hard out the window as the last glimpse of the sun faded down below the Chicago skyline. How could she? How could she give him hope that she and Gates were through and then go and throw it right back in his face? _"You won't have to wait long."_ What a big load of _crap_!She had made him that promise and he like a fool, had believed her. He felt the CD through his pocket, fuck, he'd worked over a freaking month editing and choosing the songs and he'd worked well over a week decorating the cover. Now he was beginning to wonder why he'd even bothered, why he'd even gotten so excited that they were finally going to be together because right now things weren't looking so great and he almost felt like he was going to have a breakdown, maybe the whole thing was a mistake. In fact maybe he should just avoid giving it to her. It was not like she needed to be rewarded for her public display of affection with Gates tonight. God, He kept on vowing to himself that he would not let her get to him like this and rule over now their _'relationship'_ went about, but whenever she came near him - 

"It's pretty kooky, huh? Them getting married like this." came an all too familiar British voice.

- He turned into a walking pile of mush.

He turned around to glance at her.

"Yeah, it's pretty kooky, how's it going down there?" he asked and couldn't help but keep the small smile off his face.

"Oh, they're getting ready." she told him.

He suppressed himself from sighing as his hand dug into his pocket. _So much for not giving in to her, Barnett._

"What's this?" she asked confused.

He gave her another huge love struck grin.

"It's for you. I started doing a little bit of recording again, on my own, and it's got some songs I've been working on."

Neela smiled at him.

"Yay, it's great."

"There's one about you." _That was a __**complete**__ lie. Each and every song he had attempted to write by himself since the band had split on him had been about her. _"But you'll have to figure it out, plus a few others I burned, you know some songs we used to listen to when we were roommates."

She nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ray."

"About what?" he asked hoping his voice sounded nonchalant because he sure as hell knew what she was talking about.

"I thought I was coming alone and he just turned up. I- I didn't know what to do…" Neela explained.

He glanced down at her. _It was time to tell her, get it straight out in the open._

"No offence, but uh, not knowing what to do has become your baseline."

She looked at him obviously a little bit taken back.

"This isn't for me, Ray. I've had a pretty hard time since…" she began pausing. "Losing Michael, I still haven't quite -"

"Yeah, I know." he interrupted.

"I mean, Tony was new. There's no history. He didn't make me think about things from before. Maybe I rushed into it because it made moving on easier." Neela continued averting her gaze from his to look out the window.

_Wait a minute…_

"So I feel like history to you?" he asked.

Neela looked back up at him.

"Well, I couldn't separate you from Michael. I couldn't be with you and not feel guilty."

Ray nodded. "What about now?" he asked, before reaching his hand out to slowly caress hers.

"Now?" she asked looking down at their entwined hands. "I'm not sure all that matters anymore." she finished slowly.

Ray looked at her, his smile stretching slowly. _Hallelujah…_

"Meaning?" he asked hopefully.

She looked up at his face again.

"Meaning, I'm done, I'm done living in the past. Michael was my past and as much as I loved him, I never knew him. The reason I hide a way from you when he died, Ray was that only then did I really realize that I knew nothing about him." She paused for a second before continuing. "I mean he might as well have been a _complete stranger_. I didn't know his favourite things, his likes and dislikes and what made it even worse was that I knew all those things about you! Bloody hell you were my _roommate,_ my _best friend_ and he was my _husband_! My supposed _soul mate_! And I knew nothing about him! Sure, I should put all the blame on him, saying the reason I didn't know anything about him was because he was in god damn Iraq, 99 percent of our marriage but the truth is I'm as much to blame as he is." She paused again, taking in Ray's mixture of a confused/shocked look.

"What I trying to say is that I knew that I knew nothing about him when he proposed to me but yet I still _married_ him! I let him go back to the war knowing I that I had already started to have _feelings_ for you, I moved out knowing I had even _stronger feelings_ for you than I had about _him_. I wanted to talk to you, believe me I wanted to talk to you so much after his death, I wanted to confess and bring everything out in the open but every time that I saw you I felt like I had betrayed Michael…but now…now I'm beginning to realize that I should have seen that Michael and I were over before we'd even begun. So what I'm really trying to say to you in this 'big confession and let everything out' speech is that I know it may be hard but I'm ready. I'm ready to move on. I'm ready to move on _with_ _you._" she stopped looking at him with a nervous expression.

What do you say?"

Ray stared at her in astonishment before a _huge _smile spread.

"Wow, what am I supposed to say after that?" he asked.

Neela grinned cheekily at him.

"Well, you know, it's a well known fact that actions speak better than words…" she put in.

Ray's smile increased about a thousand watts.

"Oh, really…?" he questioned.

Neela nodded.

"Mmhmm…"

"Well then…" Ray whispered before dropping his head slightly to let his lips brush against hers. He felt her mouth lifting into a smile and he took that as permission to deepen it. _Finally…_

"Neela! There you are! Abby's – _Whoa!_" the sound of Hope's voice broke them apart.

"Uh, Hey, Hope." Neela said glancing at Ray as they both tried to suppress their laughter at Hope's wide open awe struck eyes.

"Umm…sorry, am I interrupting – _wow_, so you two finally got your acts together!" she squealed clapping her hands together. "This is so exciting! I was talking to Archie about the two of you the other day, I mean we all knew that this would happen sooner or -" she began rambling excitedly.

"Hope! Was there something you wanted?" Neela asked.

She stopped.

"Oh, right, Um…Abby wants to talk to you." she put in.

"Okay, I better get going then." Neela said beginning to retreat.

"I'll uh, come down with you." Ray called quickly following after her.

Hope watched them leave with a grin on her face.

"Oh, and guys, if you ever need a wedding planner…"

"_Hope!_"

_End 'If Only' Fic 2._

* * *

_lol, what did ya think? I'm trying to end each and every one of these scenes on a happy note, so I hoped you liked it. Please review you know they make my world go round :)_


	3. Alternate Scene 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Author's Note: **_Wow,_ first of all I want to thank all of you who reviewed the last chapter. Sorry about the longer wait for getting this one up but I had a sudden overflow of homework this week and didn't have the time to write it. Anyway here it is and I hope it meets your expectations. :)

* * *

**3. If Only…**

…**Ray hadn't walked off when he saw Gates and Neela on the terrace.**

* * *

Ray watched in disbelief as he saw Gates caressing Neela's cheek. _How dare she? How could she do this to him? Say all those things on the roof, give him even more hope that they could finally happen and then turn around and do this. It was like they were doing this complicated dance that never seemed to end and the music was really starting to bore him. _He thought about stalking off but quickly decided against it. He wasn't going to keep letting her do this anymore, keep letting her play all these games with his already severely damaged heart. It was time to confront her and set her straight, it was now or never. 

"What the hell is going on here?!" he shouted, marching towards the two of them.

They both jumped clearly startled.

"Ray!" Neela exclaimed. "_What -_ It's not what you think!"

"Oh! And what am I supposed to think, Neela?" he shot back. "What happened to what you said upstairs? "_Tony was new, there was no history, he didn't make me think about things from before,"_ Ray mimicked. "Huh? I can't -"

"_Excuse me!_ What is he talking about, Neela?" Gates interrupted agitatedly.

"Stay out of this, Gates! Can't you see I'm talking to her?" Ray shouted.

"_Whoa! _Listen, Barnett. I don't know where the hell you're coming from, but I'm not going to stand her watching you smart talk with my girlfriend!" Gates argued.

"_Girlfriend?! _You got to be joking me! She's not your fucking girlfriend, for -"

"Both of you shut up!" Neela shouted angrily standing in between the two men who looked like they were ready to beat the crap out of each other.

"Let me speak for a second, okay, please, Ray, I need to get this out." Neela began casting him a pleading look.

She took a deep breath.

"The past year has been hell for me. I know I didn't handle Michael's death the way I should have or _could_ have and I never, ever should have pushed you away, Ray, there's no excuse for that, but you don't know what it was like for me. I was already in love with you _before _he died and I already had a bad enough guilty conscience about that, knowing that I was betraying him and when he did die it became worse. Everything just caved in at that moment. I mean he died thinking he had a loving and _faithful _wife but I'm the one left knowing that wasn't true. I betrayed him without him even _knowing_ I had betrayed him and though it might sound crazy but that just makes it even worse to me because now I have to live on carrying that guilt of what I can't change or undo. I know that it's not all my fault and Michael's is also at fault after all, all we had, had was a whirlwind relationship and then he proposes to me and within 24 hours we were married and then not even a week later he was already back in Iraq. At that instant I should have realized that it was not right but I left it and just continued depending more and more on you, Ray. What hurts even more is you were everything Michael was supposed to be, it was like you simultaneously took his place. So please understand that the reason I couldn't let you be there for me after he died was because it would have been even more of a betrayal."

"Hang on. What are you trying to say here, Neela? Because at the moment all I seem to be gathering from it is that you were and _still are_ in love with Ray." Gates said, with a pure look of wrath on his face.

"Yes, Tony, I'm sorry but that's exactly what I'm trying to say."

She turned her attention to Ray whose face only showed pure shock.

Gates let out a counterfeited laugh.

"Wait a second, so you got involved with me when you were _already _in love with someone else. What do you think I am? Some sort of toy? Something to play with when you needed to take your mind off Barnett screwing Alvaro." he stated angrily.

"Wow, wow, wow. Hold it right there, Gates." Ray exclaimed, stepping in between the two of them. "First of all, you do not yell at her like that and secondly don't you dare bring Katey into all of this!"

"Why? She's already a major factor in all of this. In fact, where is she? I haven't seen her around for a while. What happened you finally get bored with her?" he provoked.

Ray's eyes fumed with rage. Just as his arm went up Neela grabbed him.

"Ray! Don't! He's doing this on purpose." Neela said evenly. "Thank you, Tony. By acting like a complete wanker you've just made what I was going to tell you _a whole_ lot easier."

"So? What? We're done?" he asked.

"Yes, we're done."

He shook his head angrily.

"Whoa! _Big _shocker there. With your reputation with ER docs I should have never gotten involved with you. Watch it, Barnett by the end of the month she'll probably be running low on candidates and be screwing Morris." Gates smirked.

Neela tightened her grip on Ray's tensed arm as his eyes again flamed with anger watching as Gates furiously stalked off the terrace.

"Ray, I truly am sorry. I never should have done any of this to you. I never should have moved out with not even so much of an explanation and I never should have shut you out after Michael died, you didn't deserve any of it, but I meant what I just said. _I love you…_" Neela began after he had left, still not letting go of his hand.

He avoided looking at her and kept his eyes firmly fixated on the floor.

"Please don't do this again, Neela…"

"Do what?" Neela asked confused.

"As much as I want to believe what you're saying, how do I know it's true? Because lately we've been playing this little game where you get all my hopes up, telling me all these things and then just go retreating back to Gates. How do I know you won't turn around and do it again?" he asked.

"But I do mean it. I do want to be with you. It's over with Tony, I promise you. I'll never go back to him. In fact right now I don't even know what possessed me to even get involved with him." Neela said disgustedly.

Ray let out a soft chuckle.

"_You were blind sighted to all his flaws."_ he said mocking a high class British accent.

Neela smiled.

"You're _so_ beyond correct but please do not talk like that _ever_ again. You know from previous occasions that you do a _terrible_ impersonation of a British accent."

"_Why, that's a very unflattering thing to say to someone you're trying to make amends with." _Ray told her in the accent again, feigning an offended look.

"Ha – ha. So am I forgiven?" Neela asked hopefully.

He shook his head.

"Not yet, how bout we just take it step by step for a while?" Ray said.

"Yeah, sure." Neela said softly.

"Well I think it's about we head back inside because Hope's soon going to realize that we've disappeared." he said.

"Yeah." Neela nodded, making a move for the door but Ray grabbed her hand pulling her close to him.

"But before we do, let's just get a head start in completing step one." he murmured before bending down to kiss her gently.

As their lips parted, he lightly put his mouth near her ear, to whisper:

"Also for the record, I love you too."

_End 'If Only' Fic 3_

* * *

_What did you think? Too mushy? lol, I told you I was going to try and end all of them on a happy note._ _Also just would like to tell you this might be the second last chapter. At the moment I've only got one more scene left to alternate, which is obviously the (awful, tragic, fateful, sad .etc. I could rant on forever) end Ray scene._

_You know the drill. The more the reviews the more quicker it will appear ;)_


	4. Alternate Scene 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. 

**Author's Note: **Well here it is folks, the final installment of my _'If Only'_ series. I hope you have enjoyed reading all these alternate scenes of mine and for the final time I would like to thank each and everyone of you who reviewed the story. :) IMO this was my most favourite chapter to write. So without further ado I give you _'Alternate Scene 4'._

* * *

**4. If Only…**

…**The fight had of ended the opposite way around.**

* * *

Gates excused himself again and again as he tried to make his way through the swarm of either drunk, high, overly energetic, or possibly all of the above people in an attempt to get to the bar. He finally freed himself from the crowd and made his way to the bartender. 

He nodded at him.

"Hi, I'd like a dry and dirty martini and a tequila sunrise, please," as the bartender went off he turned to his side and spotted Ray, "Hey, Ray, what's shaking?" he asked.

Ray ignored looking at him as he spoke,

"Dry and dirty? I should have figured that out by now." he noted sarcastically.

"Actually, I prefer the tequila sunrise because of all the pretty colours." he said with a smirk.

"Asshole." Ray put in nonchalantly.

Gates regarded him with a pissed look, as Pratt joined them.

"Gates, what are you doing? Save some liquor for everybody else." he said casually as he ordered his drink. Tony ignored his presence.

"Hey, Ray. I don't know if you've noticed but there's a party going on here, everybody's having a good time, dancing, so anytime you feel like, you know jumping in, just get off your little stool and you know – Bartender, hot coffee for him, fast and black, won't you?" he said turning to walk away.

"You're a real prick, you know that?" Ray called.

Gates stopped mid step and turned around, walking back up to him.

"What's, uh…What's your damage, Ray?" he questioned.

"My damage is that _you_ walked into _our_ ER and you own the place. I don't appreciate that," he looked around, "nobody else does…"

"Okay, I realize that you don't like me, but sooner or later you're going to have to used to living with me, cause I ain't going _nowhere._" Gates put in breezily.

Ray shook his head angrily.

You want to leave a mess wherever you go, that's up to you. But there are two things I won't let you screw around with. That's patients lives and -" he broke off.

"And what, Ray?" Gates urged snottily.

Ray turned to face him.

"And her." he put in determinedly.

"Hey, I care about her you sulky, little pissant." Gates told him defensively, his voice raising.

"Wow, wow, wow."

"Wrong place, wrong time."

Pratt and Morris said intervening.

Ray ignored them.

"I bet you have yourself almost convinced of that," Ray retorted, "but, see, the problem is, _you're_ the only one that buys it."

"Hey, Ray. C'mon let's go for a walk, man." Pratt said trying to urge him to walk away but Gates interrupted.

"Hey, hey, no, no, let me just say, Ray, here, here, you know that thing you had? It's over. Done. Finished."

"Tony -" a new voice joined the argument.

They both turned around to notice Neela standing there.

"You don't know how to take care of her." Ray said quietly, turning back to face Gates.

"Ray, please." Neela pleaded.

"Well, Ray, at least I'm trying." Gates told him smugly again turning to walk away.

"That's right, that's right. Like you took care of Meg, huh?" Ray retorted.

Gates turned slowly back around with a furious look on his face.

"Oh, hey, let it go, let it go, he's drunk, that's it. C'mon." Morris interrupted.

Gates shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner.

"That's fine…" he said slowly, before throwing his drink over Morris and leaping at Ray. Ray returned the gesture by throwing him onto a table.

"Stop it! Cut it out!" Neela yelled, but it wasn't much use.

The debacle continued until Morris and Pratt managed to pull them off each other.

"Go!" Morris told Ray, leading him off into another direction of the room.

**-0-0-0-0-0-**

"What the hell was that about?" Pratt yelled at Gates as he pushed him out the door.

"What? Why are you blaming me? He started it!" he said defensively.

"Oh! That's just dandy! _He started it_! _He_ was also clearly smashed. _You_ should have just left it!" Pratt told him annoyedly.

"I don't care if he was smashed! He was asking for it!" Gates retorted.

"You should have known better! You know what, Gates? Just when I start to get worried that maybe I'm being a little tough on you, you go and do something to prove what an ass you are!" Pratt snapped.

"Just -" Gates began but was interrupted when the door slammed open and Neela emerged looking fiercely enraged.

"Why the bloody hell did you have to go and do that for?" she yelled.

"What are you talking about, Neela? I was being perfectly civilised until that alcoholic OC reject went -"

_SLAP! _

"Don't you dare speak about Ray like that!" she shouted. "You knew he was drunk, yet you had to go and push him till he reached his limits! You are such an egotistical, self - centred wanker, Tony Gates and I don't know what I saw in you in the first place!"

Gates gathered her with an incredulous look.

"What are you trying to say, Mayday?"

"First of all, never, ever call me that again! And what I am trying to say is that we are done!" she told him angrily before turning around and marching back inside.

Pratt watched her leave with an amused look on his face.

"What goes around comes around…" he murmured.

"_Excuse me!?" _Gates asked turning around to face him, looking furious.

Pratt guarded him with an innocent expression.

"I didn't stutter."

**-0-0-0-0-0-**

"What was that all about, man?" Morris asked as he handed Ray a damp towel.

"I don't think you get it, Morris," Ray said as he placed it against his lip, flinching as the cool liquid touched the injured spot. "You know, every time I think I'm turning the corner, I feel like I know what I'm doing. I end up falling backwards again."

Morris sighed.

"I feel for you, man, I really do, but it's a wedding, you're drunk and you're hooked on a girl, maybe you should just go home, get some rest, you'll feel better about it in the morning..."

Ray shook his head.

"I'm never going to feel better about it, Morris. Because tomorrow morning I'll wake up and she still won't be there right next to me." Ray muttered softly, his voice dripping with sadness.

"Maybe I can prove you wrong…" a voice interrupted quietly.

They both looked up surprised, to see Neela standing there by the door watching them, her eyes were showing as much sadness as Ray's.

"Uh, I'll just, uh, be leaving…" Morris said, slowly beginning to retreat out the door.

"Ray…" Neela said softly, approaching him.

"Just leave it, Neela." he told her bitterly.

"No, I'm not going to leave it, Ray," she told him firmly. "Not until you tell me what possessed you do that out there."

"You know what possessed me, Neela, you've known it all along yet you still continue to play this game when you know what it's damn doing to me!" Ray snapped.

"What are you talking about? I told you on the roof -"

"Yeah, you told me and then you also seemed to be having a deep moment on the _terrace_ with _Gates_." he spat out angrily.

Neela stopped, as it suddenly dawned on her.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, _oh!"_

"Ray, you're getting it all wrong, things have been really rough between Gates and me since Meg's death. We've really been drifting apart. He was trying to rekindle things again but I pushed him away, which must have been a part you missed."

Ray stopped.

"You really pushed him away?" he asked softly.

Neela nodded.

"Hang on a second…" he said, with a smile creeping on his face. "You just called him Gates; you haven't called him Gates since you first started going out…which would mean…"

Neela smiled.

"Which would mean, something rather drastic happened in the last half and hour that pushed my urge of breaking up with him out of the shadows."

Ray's grin broadened.

"So?"

"So?"

They both put in nervously.

"God, I feel like a little school girl, C'mon let me help you with that lip." Neela told him.

Ray laughed as he offered her the towel.

Well, I'm glad I make you feel young again." he told her.

"_Young!?"_ Neela asked sarcastically. "Pfft, since I met you I've aged about 10 years!"

"Well, you've never looked more beautiful." Ray told her, with a wink.

"Aww, such the charmer." Neela said sweetly, pushing a little harder on his bruise.

"_OW!"_ he yelped.

"Sorry." she said innocently.

"_Very_ funny, maybe I shouldn't be so lenient to forgive you…" Ray began.

"Aww, I'm sorry, would you like me to kiss it better?" she joked, only then realizing the seriousness of the offer.

Ray stared at her stunned.

"…Yes." he whispered hoarsely.

Silently as if in a trance, she began lowering her head until her lips meet his gently. As they both started to deepen it, he let out another painful yelp, instantly regretting it.

"_OW!_ My lip!_" _

"Sorry!" Neela said instantly stopping. "Maybe I should stop?"

What? No! I've waited to damn long for this to let a split lip get in the way." Ray told her firmly.

"Well, then…" Neela said bending her head back down to kiss him.

"Ray?" she murmured against his lips.

"Huh?"

"Are you still looking for a roommate?" she asked softly.

She felt him smiling against her lips as his eyes opened.

"Why, I thought you'd never ask. Welcome back, _roomie_."

_End 'If Only' Fic 4_

* * *

_Well, that's it everybody, the series is now over. I hope you enjoyed it and for the final time:_

_Reviews would be love!_


End file.
